Finance Department verifies 20% pensioners in 3 weeks

SRINAGAR: In a bid to streamline disbursal of pensions, the Finance Department has undertaken verification of pensioners. Though such verification is mandatory as per the Treasury Code, it could not be undertaken due to administrative challenges.

In Jammu & Kashmir, there are about 2.38 lakh pensioners and family pensioners and most of them have opted for disbursal through J&K Bank. As per the mandatory rules, the pensioners are submitting life certificates each year. Further, the Principal Accountant General’s office had been repeatedly stressing this issue of deficiencies in annual verification.

Hence, since the past 3 weeks, the verification has been started at all the treasuries and sub-treasuries. For alleviating difficulties of old pensioners who are unable to reach, the Treasury staff are visiting their homes for such verification. As per the available data, there are 24400 cases of pensioners in 80 to 90 years age group, 2500 cases in 90 to 100 year age group and 126 cases in the 100 year plus group.

The treasuries and sub-treasuries are also issuing weekly charts so that the pensioners don’t have to wait at such treasuries. The treasuries and sub-treasuries are also guiding the pensioners to use the online Apps / portals of ‘Jeevan Pramaan' which have been started by the Central Government for facilitation of pensioners. Jeevan Pramaan uses the Aadhaar platform for biometric authentication of pensioners and family pensioners and generating Digital Life Certificate automatically. But currently, out of 2.38 lakh pensioners, only 4162 pensioners in Jammu and Kashmir use Jeevan Pramaan app for certification. Hence the Treasury staff is also informing and guiding the pensioners about downloading the App for their convenience.

 After 3 weeks, 44700 pensioners and family pensioners have been verified by the treasuries and their data has been digitally updated. This constitutes about 20% of the entire work which is expected to be completed by the end of September, 2024.

Such physical verification is helping in not only updating the pensioners’ data with the government but also switching over to online verification in future. This verification is also identifying any ineligible case which otherwise may result in over drawls and subsequent recoveries. By 27th July, about 70 cases have been detected against whom recoveries of Rs. 61 lakh due to excess pension/ allowances have been initiated.